When a photograph is taken using a hand-held camera, the camera is usually grasped by the photographer in one hand and positioned in the proximity of the photographer's face. In this position, the photographer can sight through the viewfinder of the camera, select the scene to be photographed and then operate the shutter release mechanism.
It is sometimes difficult to hold the camera steady while the shutter is open. When a person's arms remain in the position required to hold the camera in the proximity of his face more than a few seconds, tensions develop in the hand, wrist and arm. The natural result of this tension is a reflexive high-frequency shaking, with resulting camera movement that blurs the recorded image. This problem is particularly acute where the camera is heavy, a long telephoto lens is used, the photographer is working in an awkward position, the photographer must hold a position for a length of time waiting for a particular scene to occur, and where long exposure times are required because of low light conditions or to increase the depth of field. To assist photographers in lengthening the exposure time during which a camera may be held steady, various types of apparatus have been proposed.
The most common apparatus for stabilizing a camera is a tripod extending from the camera to the ground, thereby relieving the photographer of the burden of holding the camera and simultaneously eliminating the problem of reflexive movements. However, it is sometimes not convenient to utilize a tripod, since tripods are often heavy and inconvenient to carry, and additionally a proper horizontal ground support surface may not be available.
An alternative approach to stabilizing the camera is to support the camera against the body of the photographer, although the disadvantages and shortcomings of known devices of this type have prevented their widespread use. As an example of this previously known approach, however, the camera may be attached to a harness fitting around the neck of the photographer, and optionally a brace to some other portion of the photographer's body is also provided. In another approach, the camera is braced against the photographer's chest using a Y-shaped member.
Although some of these approaches may reduce high-frequency shaking of the camera to some extent, they introduce other sources of movement so that their performance falls far short of the free-standing tripod. When braced against or supported by the photographer's neck, waist or lateral portions of the torso, a camera will generally be shaken by the pulse produced in the arteries or blood vessels in that portion of the body. Minor muscle movements in these portions of the body also will be transmitted into the camera. Further camera movement may also be attributable to breathing, particularly in the case of previously known devices supported by the chest or abdomen.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of this invention to provide a camera support characterized by improved stability as compared to other body-mounted support apparatus. A further objective is the provision of such a support in a structure which can also utilize such stationary support surfaces as may be available.